Mail-box



(No Model.)

5 2 Sh.eets-Sheet 1. A. D. HARRISON & O. O. LUCAS.

MAIL BOX.

Patented Mar. 10 .1896."

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A. D. HARRISON & 0. 0. LUCAS.

'MAIL'BOX- No. 555,948. Patented Mar. 10, 1896'.

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ALBERT D. HARRISON AND CHARLES O. LUCAS, OF GREENVILLE, OHIO.

MAIL-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 555,948, dated March 10, 1896.

Application filed May 31, 1895. Serial No. 551,141. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALBERT D. HARRISON and CHARLES 0. Lucas, of Greenville, Darke county, Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MailBoxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to improvements in boxes to be disposed in public places for the reception of mail-matter.

Our invention will be readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section in the plane of line a of Fig. 3 of a mailbox exemplifying our invention, the parts being shown in their normal position; Fig. 2, a similar view wit-h the parts in the position into which they are put when a letter is to be inserted in the box; and Fig. 3, a vertical section in the planes of line I) of Fig. 1, the parts being in normal position corresponding with Fig. 1.

In the drawings, referring principally to Fig. 1, 1 indicates a mail-box of such size that its lower portion will contain such number of letters as are liable to be dropped between collections; 2, the usual door therein to permit of the removal of the letter; 3, a receiving-pocket of triangular cross -section arranged for pivotal movement in the box and extending from side to side in the box; 4, the pivots on which the pocket is supported in the box; 5, a handle connected with one of these pivots exterior to the box and serving as ameans by which the pocket maybe tipped from the normal position shown, as in Fig. 1, which is the dumping position, to the receiving position, as shown in Fig. 2; 6, the front wall of the pocket; 7, slots in this wall extending from the outer extremity of the wall some distance inwardly toward the pivot; 8, the rear wall of the pocket similarly slotted, the slots in this case, however, extending somewhat farther toward the pivot of the pocket; 9, the end walls of the pocket; 10, a bar secured across the box and serving as a stop for the pocket as it swings backward to normal dumping position, this position being such that wall 8 will have such slope that letters in the pocket will slide from the pocket into the lower portion of the box; 11, ribs projecting a slight distance from bar 10 up through the slots in pocket-wall 8; 12, the receiving-door of the box, being a narrow door in the top of the front wall of the box; 13, the pivot of this door horizontally disposed at the foot of the door, the door extending across from side to side of the box; 14 an arm projecting from the door inwardly between one wall of the box and one end Wall of the pocket and having its upper surface curved on an arc struck from pivot 4; 15, a pin projecting outwardly from an end wall of the pocket so as to engage over arm 14; 16, a depression in arm 14 near the door 12; 17, the upper forward extremity of the pocket, projected an gularly forward from the general plane of the front wall of the pocket and being adapted to engage against the rear upper portion of door 12 when the pocket is swung forward; 18, a comb pivoted at its top to the box and with its teeth hanging down in front of slotted pocket-wall 7 when the pocket is in normal position; 19, a stop to prevent the forward swinging of the teeth of the comb while permitting them to swing freely backward, and 20 a pin on an end wall of the pocket and serving to prevent the backward movement of comb 18 when the pocket is in receiving position.

Normally the parts are in the position indicated in Fig. 1. Door 12 is closed well in under the roof of the box and thus protected from the weather. The door cannot be forcibly opened by any operation on the door, being prevented by arm 14 engaging under pin 15. By operating handle 5 the pocket may be swung upwardly and forward, in doing which the outer front edge of the pocket 17 comes in contact with the door and tends to push the door open. Depression 16 is of such form as to permit the door to open as the pocket swings forwardly after making its first contact with the door. The parts finally take the position indicated in Fig. 2, leaving a door-opening through which the letter may be inserted, the letter falling into the pocket. Upon releasing the handle 5 the pocket drops to its normal dumping position and door 12 automatically closes. The letter slides from the pocket into the box as soon as the rear wall of the pocket shall have passed below the angle of repose. Should there be any tendency on the part of the letter to stick to the rear wall of the pocket, the letter will be displaced from that wall as the wall settles down on rib-bar 10, the ribs causing the letter to jump from the wall and slide down into the box.

The parts will all be perfectly made of metal and as light as consistent with proper strength and security. The system provides against pilfering. Assume that one were to attempt to abstract a letter from the box by means of a rod or string armed at its end with wax or other letter-gripping device. Before access can be had to the box door 12 must be opened, and this can only be done by bringing the pocket to receiving position, under which conditions wall 8 of the pocket and also the locked comb are interposed between the door and the contents of the box. The catching-instrument might be gotten down into the box over the top of the rear wall of the pocket between the fingers of the comb; but in the attempt to withdraw the instrument with an attached letter the letter will catch in the slots of wall 8 and in comb-teeth 18 and abstraction be prevented. If an at tempt be made to insert a false lining or loop of thread in the pocket to receive the letter and retain it in the pocket instead of clumping it into the box, with the idea that the pocket may be later turned up and the letter abstracted from the pocket, the scheme will be defeated by comb-teeth 18 passing through the slots in the walls and combing the contents of the pocket out or preventing the swinging of the pocket to open position.

The mechanical details of construction may be varied in many ways without departing from the spirit of our invention.

WVe claim as our invention 1. In a mail-box, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a box having an opening in its front wall near the top, a door at said opening and pivoted at its base, a pocket disposed on pivots within the box and supported normally in position to discharge its contents into the box and adapted to move to such position that its front wall Will engage said door and protrude out through said opening, and a handle connected with said pocket and disposed exterior to the box.

2. In a mail-box, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a box having a receiving-opening near its top, a pivoted door at said opening, a locking projection from said door Within the box, a pocket mounted on pivots within the box and resting normally in position to discharge into the box and adapted to move to receiving position at said opening, a part upon said pocket engaging said locking projection and serving to lock said door except when the pocket is in receiving position, and a handle connected with said pocket and disposed exterior to the box.

3. In a mail-box, the combination, substan tially as set forth, of a box having a receiving-opening near its top, a pocket supported on pivots Within the box and having slotted front and rear walls joined at their bases and disposed at an angle to each other, teeth supported by the box in position to be passed by both said slotted Walls, and a handle connected with said pocket and disposed exterior to the box.

4. In a mail-box, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a box having a receiving-opening near its top, a pocket pivoted within the box and having slotted walls and an exterior handle, and teeth pivoted within the box in position to pass said wall-slots and locked against retreat by the pocket when in receiving position.

ALBERT D. HARRISON. CHARLES O. LUCAS. \Vitnesses G. FRANK ScHMERMUND, O. FRED. LOCKETT. 

